Noble`s Injury Scares Both Teams

October 26, 1992|By Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune.

GREEN BAY, WIS. — Human nature being what it is, there is always much concern at the sight of a player lying motionless on a football field.

But last year`s paralyzing injury to Detroit guard Mike Utley may have served to heighten the darkest fears of players and fans immediately after watching a player go down. And the silence that fell over Lambeau Field when Green Bay linebacker Brian Noble lay in a supine position during the third quarter Sunday was a testament to that.

After almost a 10-minute delay, Noble was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher and spent the night at St. Vincent`s Hospital with a back contusion, said Packers physician Clarene Novotony. X-rays were taken of Noble`s spinal cord and pronounced ``normal,`` and the nine-year veteran from Arizona State was scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test Sunday night.

Packers coach Mike Holmgren said Noble ``lost a little feeling on one side`` after the play, but had all of his feeling back by the time he reached the hospital.

With 1:02 left in the third period, Noble was in on a tackle of Brad Muster near the goal line and wound up wedged between some players in a pileup.

``Brian landed on top of me,`` said Packers defensive end Robert Brown.

``I was underneath him and he was in pain and yelling. I didn`t want to move because I didn`t know how badly he was hurt. It was a very scary moment.``

Bears guard Tom Thayer went over and tried to talk to Noble to see if he was OK. Noble simply blinked his eyes in response.

``It`s a weird position to be in,`` Thayer said. ``You can`t be friendly because you know you`re going to have to go out and try to score on him. But you can show you have concern for his well-being, and everyone on our team did.``

``I prayed for him on the sidelines,`` said Mike Singletary. ``It didn`t look good.``

The Packers were still in the game at the time, and the defense had to try to temporarily put their concerns behind them and concentrate on stopping the Bears` offense without their leader and top linebacker.

``Brian`s the kind of guy we needed to fill in that hole,`` said safety LeRoy Butler. ``With him going out on a stretcher, they knew that so they were definitely going to run more.``

Noble`s absence was most noticeable in the fourth quarter when Darren Lewis burst through for a 30-yard touchdown to seal the Bears` victory.

The game itself, however, had already lost some of its meaning to many of Noble`s teammates. When everything is taken into the proper perspective, football is usually put right in its place.